White smoke in Rome: Pope Leo XIV elected

The Roman Catholic Church has a new Pope, The Vatican has announced.

A plume of white smoke has risen above the Sistine Chapel, a signal that the Cardinals have made their decision in just four rounds of conclave voting.

The new pontiff has been named as American-Peruvian Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, who will go by the name of Pope Leo XIV.

He becomes the first Pope from North America, succeeding Pope Francis, the first pontiff from South America, who passed away last month after a long illness. The Argentina-born Francis was 88.

Pope Leo appeared on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica and addressed the tens of thousands gathered. "Peace be with you."

Speaking in Latin, Pope Leo XIV called for the light of Christ to serve "as the bridge" to God's love. He ended by leading the crowd in prayer.

Prevost was born in Chicago but spent most of his life as a missionary in Peru, where he was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2023.

The new pontiff becomes the head of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion members around the world. There are close to half a million Catholics in New Zealand.

The Vatican Conclave voting process took just two days and four rounds of ballots.

World leaders have welcomed the new pontiff, including US President Donald Trump. Reuters reported the American leader as saying, "What excitement, and what a Great Honor [sic] for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"

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